Tropical Blush

I find Betty at the Tropical Blush counter, where she’s been working weekends.

Without a word, she sits me down in the makeover chair and hands me a copy of the Battersea Dirt.

Headline: Battersea Prince in Hot Salt-Water: Caught With Queen’s Assistant on Eve of Engagement!

“Brad’s engaged?” I ask, as Betty pulls out her make-up kit and brushes.

“Francie, the Dirt is calling you a dirty mistress and that’s what you wanna know? Oh my god, you are sleeping with him!"

Betty grabs my face and examines it closely.

“No! I’m...is there anything about a shooting, at the Queen’s Palace last night?

Betty flips through the tabs. “No, just a couple lines in the Gatherings section about a party. Says she hosted a small soirée for a few selected industry friends.”

“Like the Red Coral Society? Since when is kidnapping and murder an ‘industry’?” I say.

“Don’t tell me you still think they had something to do with Maribel’s death...”

“I’m not sure. The Historian, Juan Rosado -- He's a bit...unbalanced. It was Juan who did the shooting last night. And I'm pretty sure he killed Maribel. But I think someone -- maybe someone in the Society -- told Juan that Maribel had something, something he wanted, and that she was keeping it in the shop. Now Juan thinks I have this thing. So he shot the Cat, trying to get to me.”

“If it’s not in the tabs, it didn’t happen,” says Betty, applying foundation. The impact of this statement hits me.

“No one knows what’s going on,” I say.

“Will you stop fidgeting?” says Betty.

“Betty, I need you to tell me everything you know about the Red Coral Society, everything you’ve read in the tabs.”

Betty stops applying blush and steps back to look at me.

“I really shouldn’t be helping you now that you’re a former assistant,” says Betty, “I'm starting to get some real responsibility.”

Betty takes out her shiny new Device and scrolls through a list of pink-font Eva messages. She avoids my look, surveys the row of lip glosses and picks out a sheer raspberry gloss.

“Just promise me you’ll be careful, Francie...I’m not saying you’re right about Maribel, but here’s the thing...the Red Coral Society used to be completely underground, the Dirt couldn’t even touch them. But lately it seems like they’ve been...asking for publicity -- opening the new building, hosting parties, showing up around town...it’s like they’re scripting everything, how much the tabs say, and when. They can disappear, or be the front page story.”

“So you’re saying...”

“...they’re not afraid,” finishes Betty.